Diffraction filters based on polyimide and poly(ethylene naphthalate) track membranes

The problem of optical filters for soft x rays and extreme ultraviolet that provide a high degree of blocking ultraviolet and visible background radiations is considered. The subject of discussion is the filter based on a track membrane, a polymer film with micrometer and submicrometer pores, rather than the standard thin-film system. It is proposed that the membranes be made of poly(ethylene naphthalate) or polyimide, the UV absorption edge of which lies near the boundary of the visible range. The properties of poly(ethylene naphthalate) and polyimide membranes are contrasted with those of conventional porous poly(ethylene terephthalate) films, which are obtained by ion track etching. The spectral characteristics of poly(ethylene naphthalate) and polyimide films, as well as the formation of “track” pores when the specimens are successively treated by fast ions and chemicals, are studied. The basic parameters of the resulting porous structures are examined, and treatment conditions under which desired optical properties of the membranes are achieved are found. Filters based on poly(ethylene naphthalate) and polyimide track membranes may be applied in x-ray astronomy as constituents of detectors incorporated into solar telescopes and in experiments with the laboratory plasma.